Talk:Port of Shadows/@comment-35681043-20180913204152
SPOILER THREAD DISCUSSION. AGAIN DO NOT READ UNTIL YOU READ PORT OF SHADOWS!!! PS: It's long, but if you read the new book I'm sure you are wondering the same things Italics are quotes from the book, bold is talking points. Ok. I go the notification that it was out and finished the read in less than 24 hours. After the ending I had to go back to White Rose because we now have THREE different stories about the sisters Senjak. Here is the version given to us by The White Rose. Keep in mind, this is from Tracker who confessed to confused memory and was not especially bright: Three sisters were married.... Credence married Bathelme of Jaunt, a renowned sorceror. It is my memory that Barthelme of Jaunt became one of the Taken, but my memory is not trustworthy... Dorotea married Raft, Prince-in-Waiting, of Start. Sylith never married. a paragraph later: The death rolls reveal that Ardath and her husband... were slain by bandits. My untrustworthy memory recalls that this took place just months before the Dominator proclaimed himself. Sylith drowned in a flood of the River Dream some years earlier, swept away before countless witnesses. '''But no body was found.' ''Credence perished in the fighting when the Dominator '''and Lady' took Jaunt in the early days of their conquests There is no record of Dorotea's death.'' So, Port of Shadows offers two alternative stories. First off, the "Historian's" account should just be thrown out. The "historian" did not write the Long Ago ''sements (neither did Croaker) so we have to assume that was the real accurate accounting. First contradiction, all four sisters were alive during the early to mid Domination. There were Taken, but not the Ten Who Were Taken. The Senjak family was incredibly powerful and it was stated more than once that the Domination would have been a non-starter had they not helped or had stood against him. This is supported by the fact that the only Taken named is "Uncle Howler" and "Cousin Stormbringer" both Senjaks. So, getting to the point. Dorotea couldn't be the Lady. She spent the entire history as a reanimated corpse; kept in the castle. So we have older sisters Ardath and Sylith, '''highly competitive with each other and highly competent', and middle sister Credence/Bathdek. Lastly, and this is crucial; Bomanz stated that someone could change their true name by taking the name of someone deceasedor that they had killed. Lady was a virgin sister of Dorotea, she might have been partly responsible for Dorotea's death by not being physically involved with her husband and that's why he pursued Dorotea (plus she was youngest and like 90% of So the question of the book, was/is Credence the Lady or a different sister who stayed behind the curtains the entire time? Also the interesting Third option that the Lady summoned her sister's shade and let her "share" her body (limited possession) that would allow her to finish business with Dorotea, end the Port of Shadows threat, and allow Lady time with Croaker. I'm going to support a "different sister" hypothesis, despite some compelling points otherwise. First off, Credence had learned humility. The Lady repeatedly referred to Darling as "Peasant Girl" implying that she never stopped being a Princess/Queen. Credence had learned how to move quickly and without baggage. Recall Lady's immense baggage in Shadow Games (though much of that was magical aftifacts). Credence knew one of them had been married to the Dominator. It was a secret, but it was quite late in the Domination for her to suddenly become The Lady; as the White Rose was already leading the rebellion during the 3+ years it took her to return. Ardath and Sylith stayed close despite competitiveness, which would fit for Catcher and Lady as they would naturally cooperate in important matters but stay close to keep an eye on each other. Lastly, Credence was a survivor. She would have been able to remain in the background or even evade capture when the Domination fell. She only sought power to protect herself, not for any gain or station (though this could apply to Lady.) Back to modern times. First thing that stands out, is that Croaker sees Lady and Tides at the same time when Lady makes Contact. He has trouble discerning Lady because of her glamour, but he sense two distinct people. Second, Tides is not an expert carpet user. The Lady uses them effortlessly in Black Company and White Rose. Being comfotable enough to pilot one in a glide during the Battle of Horse. The issue of Children, implies that Lady saw this coming way back at Charm and the genetic material (if any was needed) to make them was collected then. The fact that the kids are clearly at least part supernatural, supports the "risen shade" hypothesis. Lastly, Lady would have told Croaker this at some point in the many years later. However, the logical inconsistencies of this book make this all speculative. Cook said he hated writing the last two books so maybe he was just screwing with us the whole time with this.